South Carroll High School seniors Christopher Scalzi and Stephen White were tired of driving over potholes on their way to school so they decided to create an app to help streamline municipal and county maintenance. The duo won the 2018 Carroll County Hackathon with their app Infostructure February 25.

“One day we could all be using an application that had its start right here at the Carroll County Hackathon,” said Amy Rupp, Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory’s executive director. The nonprofit organization, which sponsored the Hackathon, provides hands-on technology and entrepreneurial education experiences as well as contributes to the area’s tech workforce development.

Rupp said 59 students participated in the second Carroll County Hackathon. Students learned how to design, build, and pitch an application during the Hackathon Workshop Feb. 17. The following weekend teams of students gathered at Carroll Community College to work on their projects. Tech and entrepreneur experts volunteered all weekend to help students take their app from idea to reality. On Feb. 25, 11 teams pitched and demonstrated their applications to judges, parents, and community members.

Awards were also given for Best Design, Best Idea, Best Pitch, and Best Tech. The Best Design award went to Carroll Community College students Christopher Becker, Bobby Hough, and Samantha Lipscomb for their Health Me app. The Best Idea award went to McDaniel College students Matthew Meagher and Benjamin Schipper for their Punch Card app. The Best Pitch award went to Manchester Valley High School students Jacob and Jonathon MacGregor and Westminster High School student Christopher Slaughter for their Homework Plus app. The Best Tech award went to Manchester Valley High School students Jon Allen and Brayden Yaeger, Charles Herbert Flowers High School student Richard Buie III, and homeschooler Paul Wells for their Choice app.

White, of Sykesville, said he kept hitting potholes on his drive home but didn’t know who to contact so he decided to work with Scalzi to make an app in which users could take photos and track the locations of issues like potholes or downed trees. The app would then send the data to the correct department so they could solve the issue.

Scalzi, of Westminster, said the duo had competed in the Hackathon last year so they had some experience with how the process works.

“This year we were able to manage time better,” Scalzi said. “Last time we designed a running app but we didn’t spend as much time on the presentation. This time we spent 75 percent of our time on the app and 25 percent of our time on the presentation.”

The students said they met some challenges setting up their own server and getting the phone app to talk to the website. They also spent a lot of time researching how much money is spent on potholes each year in Carroll County and Maryland.

“It was a learning opportunity,” Scalzi said.

Added White: “It was surprising how much work was involved. I know the development process but it was a lot figure out. There were a lot of steps to go through.”

Courtesy photo

South Carroll High School seniors Christopher Scalzi, left, and Stephen White won the Carroll County Hackathon with their app Infostructure, Feb. 25.

South Carroll High School seniors Christopher Scalzi, left, and Stephen White won the Carroll County Hackathon with their app Infostructure, Feb. 25. (Courtesy photo)

Both said they enjoyed presenting.

“It was cool to see people’s reaction and to know we thought of something that could be worthwhile,” White said.

White and Scalzi said the app would need more development before being released to the public but they haven’t ruled that out.

Rupp said students have told her they are already excited about what they are going to create next year.

“I look forward to seeing how this event evolves and the apps that will be created,” she said.

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Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

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Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Recruits in the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Training Academy get hands-on training behind the wheel of a police car at the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions Driver Training Facility in Sykesville.

Recruits in the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Training Academy get hands-on training behind the wheel of a police car at the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions Driver Training Facility in Sykesville.

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Brian Geraci, Maryland state fire marshal, gives an update after firefighters found a deceased female inside an apartment in the 900 block of Marimich Court in Sykesville Monday morning.

Brian Geraci, Maryland state fire marshal, gives an update after firefighters found a deceased female inside an apartment in the 900 block of Marimich Court in Sykesville Monday morning.

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Crews from New Windsor and surrounding fire companies were still working to control a house fire in the 1600 block of Bowersox Road, more than an hour after the blaze began Thursday.

Crews from New Windsor and surrounding fire companies were still working to control a house fire in the 1600 block of Bowersox Road, more than an hour after the blaze began Thursday.